Hampshire Based Cyclist? Want Protected Cycle Tracks?

wolfsbane2k

Hey.

Hampshire County Council are developing their Vision for 2050, which includes a section on Mobility ,which requires input by the 23rd of November

From discussions with a few councillors, all the responses they have received to date are about electric and driverless cars, and not a lot else; we need to get the voices of people who want to cycle ( and walk) into the vision.

So, if you live in Hampshire, and want a dutch style network of cycling infrastructure - not the absolute hodgepodge of useless shared paths that we currently have, then please can you fill in the survey below, even if it's just a call for such a network..
https://www.hants.gov.uk/news/june05hants2050

Thanks

lostboysaint

Nice one, ta. I shall very definitely be contributing.

wolfsbane2k

lostboysaint wrote:

Nice one, ta. I shall very definitely be contributing.

Excellent. Spread the word far and wide please.

InconveniencedBadger

I live in Wiltshire but fairly close to the Hampshire border so I end up riding in Hampshire quite a lot (I ride 150 miles or so a week). This is possibly a silly question, but do you think that they'd appreciate my feedback even though I live in Wiltshire?

wolfsbane2k

InconveniencedBadger wrote:

I live in Wiltshire but fairly close to the Hampshire border so I end up riding in Hampshire quite a lot (I ride 150 miles or so a week). This is possibly a silly question, but do you think that they'd appreciate my feedback even though I live in Wiltshire?

Yes - From an economy and "connectivity" point of view, yes please!

pilot_pete

You need to spread the word far and wide across the cycling community. Here is good, but get local cycling clubs and campaign groups involved pushing the survey with their members.

I’m in Cheshire and my wife (local councillor and Town Mayor this year) have been campaigning hard at local and county level for 4 years now. It has taken that long to start to change opinions amongst the purse string holders at county level. Slowly but surely some are now onside and ‘get it’, the vast majority are obviously car drivers who hate cyclists/ cycling.

My wife has found it incredibly frustrating and has been close to chucking it in on a number of occasions as she has found it so difficult trying to get even the existing, absolutely useless cycling network improved - I’m even talking about trying to get a dropped kerb on an existing cycle path, which hasn’t happened.

We plan to run a campaign weekend when the weather is better to set up a info caravan in the town centre and gather signatures from those who would support cycling infrastructure development. The vast majority of parents would love their kids to be able to cycle to school safely on segregated cycle ways and the benefit to other walking and disability users again hits the right notes with those of a reasonable disposition, which of course is the silent majority.

We have 26,000 residents in our town, I think if we could get 4000+ Signatures that would be an extremely strong message to send to local politicians. At the moment they just think the ideas are wacky and don’t have the support of many.

So, campaign and get a story in the local newspaper urging the general public to complete the survey. Do be careful though as local papers are prone to spinning a story to fill newsprint - you wouldn’t want your positive story turned into an anti-cyclist rant about slowing down cars, getting in the way, demanding massive infrastructure spend when you don’t pay ‘road tax’ etc, which is distinctly possible...

The thing is, most of these infrastructure changes will not really be used by full on roadies in small towns - they won’t want to ride at 18-20mph on shared use paths, have to keep crossing at lights as the path changes sides etc etc. They will simply keep riding on the road. Such changes are more for the benefit of kids, occasional cyclists, the old or infirm or those less confident simply riding the mile or two into town and back. No bad thing, but ensure you reach the target market to garner support...

Good luck

PP

pilot_pete

Just a little update, the wife got elected onto the county council as well as town council in the recent local elections. This is extremely significant as the county council holds the purse strings.

There has been a sea change at county level as the Conservatives lost overall control for the first time in the council’s history. The Independents and Labour outnumber the old guard (many of whom lost their positions) and the sea change is in the attitude to sustainable transport and encouraging cycling and walking. After four years of campaigning from the outside and having written a cycling and walking master plan for our town, my wife blew away all others in her bid to get on the committees that had influence over cycling infrastructure - namely Planning, Highways and Sustainability.

She was asked by the new leader to become Cycling Champion on the council, and she agreed as long as they expanded it to Cycling and Walking. They did and she now has access to everything and can demand answers from the officers who are the civil servants who carry out the policy set by the elected members.

She can now confirm that the previous regime lied and fobbed her off for four years to keep her in her box. However, they did not bank on her sinking her teeth in like a pit bull and not letting go. They completely under-estimated her tenacity and ability to engage with the electorate. She got 9 other like minded individuals to stand as independents under her guidance at town level and took control of the town council. Together with 19 other independents at county level they wrestled control from the Conservatives and acted as king makers by agreeing to side with the labour members on a trial basis for one year.

This is how you get change. There needs to be political will at county/ city council level to improve cycling infrastructure. If there is no political will you will be fobbed off with nice words but no action. My wife is now setting policy, supported by the council leader who is himself a cyclist! Two weeks into the job and all infrastructure projects are being reviewed regarding cycling provision, including a multi million pound bypass and connected routes into our town centre. She has shown the Head of Highways the latest cycling infrastructure design guidelines, which unbelievably he said he had never seen before!!! These are going to be adopted. All future developments must follow them. Section 106 money will be allocated for cycling provision in any future development rather than all taken for NHS, schools, playgrounds etc. This is the sort of sea change that is required along with councils actually putting together a case and applying for central government funding grants, many of which are available to be tapped into.

PP

wolfsbane2k

:gobsmacked:

Bloody amazing. Go Mrs PP!

wolfsbane2k

Getting there.

http://democracy.hants.gov.uk/ieListDoc ... 5477&Ver=4
A councillor is trying to get me onto the steering committee for the meeting in spring 2020.

A Hampshire wide campaign group will be starting shortly...

http://democracy.hants.gov.uk/documents ... Report.pdf

pilot_pete

Excellent, good luck with it!

PP

wolfsbane2k

Pilot Pete wrote:

Excellent, good luck with it!

PP

Cycle Basingstoke's write up
http://www.cyclebasingstoke.org.uk/sing ... eakthrough

I've got my own, more "polite", write up to make, but it definitely feels like it's going in the right direction.

pilot_pete

My wife has already had a small impact - ALL road closures must now try to keep access for cyclists and pedestrians throughout the works and all signage must state ‘Road closed - except cyclists and pedestrians’ unless this is impossible.

The council are also now engaging with developers and setting policy that cycling provision MUST be considered and planned into developments to meet the Cycling Master Plan ambitions. It is a slow, slow process, but attitudes are changing and little victories are happening.

PP

davep1

The link to the survey gives a 404 page not found error. I would fill it in otherwise! I live in Sussex but find myself in Hants from time to time.